ATHENS - Mike Bobo is the favorite whipping boy of many Georgia fans. The offensive coordinator, and former Bulldog quarterback, is criticized so often that "Blame Bobo" has practically become a catch-phrase - sometimes seriously, but usually in jest.

Bad run game? Blame Bobo.

Economy isn't rebounding quickly? Blame Bobo.

Bobo may hear the criticism, but he tends to shrug it off. Here's a Q&A that Bobo had with beat writers last week, prior to the season opener, in which he was asked about it.

Q: How much have you changed as a play-caller since you first started in the job?

Bobo: “I think just more learning what to look for, how I go about my week, the organization of it. I remember early on you felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day, and you weren’t gonna get everything covered. But I’ve been very fortunate to be here with coach Richt, who’s been a coordinator, and we’ve got a great staff. I think we work well together. And learning how to manage time and prepare for games, and getting ready to play each week.”

Q: How much have you become jaded to criticism?

Bobo: “Not any. You just go about your business. I’ve said this many times before: We’re in our hole, and we’re here grinding and we’re working. Really don’t get caught up with anything good or bad. As you’re doing your job you really can’t look at the positive stuff or the negative stuff. It can affect you either way. I just want to do my job to the best of my ability and get ready to play each week. It’s the profession I chose. Nobody made me go into coaching, it’s what I wanted to do. My dad warned me about it. But I still wanted to do it. I love doing it. I love dealing with kids, and I love Saturdays. So it’s fun.”

Q: You’re doing it, coordinating, at the highest level (in college football). Is it all you thought it would be?

Bobo: “No, playing was more fun. As a coach, you know you win, and you’re (relieved), then trying to worry about next week. As a player you enjoyed it, had a good time, enjoyed the wins. We don’t enjoy the wins enough as a coach. We apologize too much for every little thing that went wrong instead of enjoying the moment. So I think we did a good job of that last year, with coach (Richt) being more positive. We’re gonna try to do that this year: Just enjoy every moment, enjoy the journey, where you’re at, coaching here at a place like Georgia. And obviously we want every Saturday to go out and play to the best of our abilities. But there are gonna be struggles, there’s gonna be adversity, enjoy those, and enjoy the good and the bad times.”

Q: Anybody ever come up to you in the grocery store and complain about a play call?

Bobo: “That’s everywhere really: Somebody’s gonna ask you why you may have done something. My grandmother always says you kill them with kindness, so you just be nice.” (Laughs).

Q: Do you think you’re good at it now?

Bobo: “At what?”

Q: At being a play-caller?

Bobo: “I feel comfortable in what we’re doing and what I’m doing. I feel comfortable in being able to make adjustments. I feel comfortable in the staff, and everybody being able to stay on the same page. I never felt like I couldn’t do something, or wasn’t gonna be successful. My main job is to get the guys that I coach ready to play on Saturdays, get them believing in what they’re doing, and get them ready to execute. And if there’s something we’ve gotta change, then make changes. And enjoy the process of them figuring it out and going through the ups and downs and winning ballgames.”

Q: (Asked last week): You haven’t coached a game in about nine months, so you probably haven’t been criticized in nine months, right?

Bobo: “It’s football. You go about your business every day and try to get your guys ready to play. That’s really all you can do, and we want to play at a high level and we want to compete for championships, and that’s what we’re trying to do here at Georgia.”